ReDesign by FEATHER

I have some information about this process in the form of Instructions that I provide with each Cowl Cover, (now available for the RHD 928s, by the way), but I thought I would post this thread about the process for those who find, as I did with my recently acquired 90 GT, that the top edge of the firewall has been slightly displaced causing a poor fit of the Cowl Cover.

I have found this situation with a few of the 928s I have personally installed the Cowl Cover in, and I found that if the firewall top edge is pushed back too far it can simply be pulled back out toward the front to get it properly aligned. However, on one other 928 recently I had to push the edge to the rear and that is much more difficult since it has a significant amount of spring-back to it. In fact I think I bruised one of my upper ribs using that part of my body to push on the end of a board against the edge to get it reshaped.

Here is the situation that I have found with the GT. These pictures show how there is a very wide gap in the back at both ends and all across the back with the original Cowl Cover in place. What you are going to find with your original Cowl Cover, even if the fire wall is not displaced, is that it does not fit at either end even when it is flush to the metal cowl trim along the back of the cowl area. The new ones fit better in any case, but for a proper fit, so the Cover functions as it is intended, the top edge of the firewall must be in the right place.

In these pictures you can see that the driver's side end is about a half inch from fitting and the other side about 3/8 inch. It is about a quarter inch out of place all along the center area. That means that the firewall edge is foreward about 1/8 on one side and a quarter out on the other.

The next post to follow immediately show how I fixed it.

ReDesign by FEATHER

What I did, rather than devoting more of my aging body to it this time, was to devise a simple levering devise with a hinge in between the segments and used that against the cross brase mounting points on the inside of the front fenders with the point of it against a couple of points on the ends of the top firewall edge and then simply pushed on it several time, with trial fittings a couple of times, until I had the back of the New Cowl Cover fitting snuggly against the metal cowl trim piece as it is intended.

With the thin closed cell foam seal I have incorporated with the new Cowl Cover along the back, I think the water, or nearly all of it, will now pass over the joint and across the top of the Cowl Cover and drain out at each end as intended.

Here are some pictures of the process and the results.

NickT

I am impressed with the low tech of the device against the high tech of the car. Have to love it..

Now I am off to check mine

The Fixer

Yes, very good. I am impressed with his process, says a lot about a person.

Jerry Feather

Zonster, I think your situation is very much like I found with this installation on my 90 GT. You need to go through the process that I show in this thread on your car. If you can't get to it soon, I will try to remember to bring my high tech devise shown here with me to SF 13 and if you get there with your car we can try to work on it together.

One additional step I think I still need to do is to bend one of the rear mounting tabs/tangs under the metal cowl upward as far as it will go since my WS wiper system is also clicking on one of them still. I think I am going to try to do that with a different high tech devise that can be used as a lever from the front to reach back under the tab and simply lever it up, using the top edge of the fire wall as a fulcrum, so it is more nearly flush to the bottom of the rear of the Cowl Cover.

What concerns me the most about what I have found here with my car and now you have with yours is how much the firewall is out of place. When I first installed some of these at OCIC 12 I found only one car with the fire wall displaced, and it was too far aft. That one I could just pull on with my hands until it was properly placed.

Then I found one 86 locally that we put one of these in and it was too far foreward like my 90 and now your 86. Some of that is why I put some instructions in with the Cowl Cover to address this issue. I wonder how wide spread this issue really is, and why it occurs.

I will be bringing some of these items with me to SF 13, so If yours is damaged very much I will replace it.

Randy V

My new Redesign cowl cover was interfering with the wiper armature so I had to cut a big piece out of the driver's side end of the cover.

Jerry Feather

I'm interested, Randy, to see what you are talking about. If you are at SF 13 I hope to have a look. I hope the part you felt needed to be removed does not affect the appearance of the item. If it does I think I'll be dealing with it in the forms I have made to form these.

Thanks for the feedback. I wish you had pointed it out to me when I was there a while back.

antlee928

Hey Randy, I had the same issue and upon further inspection I found the the washer hoses (remember I have a rhd version with the concentrate washer bottle) plus washer heater wiring was putting sufficient pressure on the top part of the cover whn the bonnet was closed that it caused the wiper armature to catch on the upper lip of the col cover. Further inspection and experimentation I discovered there are 3 metal clips just under the upper aluminum body work which are there to support the orignal cowl cover and to hold it up tight against the body work and clear of the wiper armatures.

Anyway, my cowl cover (Jerry's) wasn't sitting in these clips and once resolved is now find with no contact with the wiper armature. I was also tempted to cut a section out but figured that Jerry must have encountered this and designed the col cover accordingly. Mine is now fitted fin and looks a real treat. Well done Jerry! :-D

Cheers

Tony

Jerry Feather

Thanks, Tony for your input. Actually the failure to install these or the factory cowl covers into the three, (or I now find more in the GT, and apparently later cars), clips, tabs or tangs under the metal cowl strip is the root of the destruction of the orignal covers and with the problems a few have encountered with my replacements.

The tabs under there did not appear in the 928 until about 83 or 84 I think and then there were three of them. However, I just learned that my 90 GT has four of them (and I am not yet sure about whether or not there is a fifth). I suspect the additional one(s) may have started in 90 and probably continued through the 95 cars. If there is only one additional clip or tab on the drivers side, as with my 90, I suspect it is specifically for the purpose of keeping that end of the Cover away from the Wiper system.

antlee928

HI Jerry. Mine is an 89 S4 and has 3 metal clips. The cowl cover fits very well and is a nice snug and tight fit. It was only the other day when we had some rain AND I had the 928 out that I noticed this. So some time spent inspecting the install and noticing the clips sorted the problem just nicely. I agree that failure to properly insert the original (more fragile) covers would typically cause the clip to break and cause holes in the upper lip area of the original covers and, over time, cause complete failure.

BTW, the windscreen side strips fitted a treat. Very simple to install and really add a nice original finish to the car.

Cheers

ReDesign by FEATHER

I installed some of these Cowl Covers when I was at Sharktoberfest last october. One of the things I found, and which was pointed out by Randy V, is that in some of the 928s the wiper mechanism is mounted a bit higher than in most of the others. In that case it is necessary to trim a small piece off of the rearward flange at the driver's end, the flange that is slipped into the three or four tabs under the metal cowl. The trimmed off place is not visible when the cover is installed so it is not a problem and does not take away from the appearance of the Cover.

I hope this post and this whole thread will be of some benefit to those who have recently bought one of these Cowl Covers. I do include some lengthy instructions about the installation, but I think this thread will help with the process with the pictures and additional information.

ReDesign by FEATHER

Ricardo, In my research I determined that the Shell Sticker in the 83 and earlier 928s goes on the air box rather than on the Cowl Cover. For the 83 the version that is correct is the one with red printing on a solid yellow background. I expect that is also true for the 83 Euro. If you find something different, let me know.

Tazzieman

Another happy customer , RHD style - but not upside down! Thanks Jerry.

Jerry Feather

Thanks, Taz, for the plug. Your installation looks very good except that I think the hoses and wire are intended to pass through the little cutout at the front corner of the Cowl Cover rather than up through the air vent opening. I suspect you found yours through the vent, but I doubt that they were there originally.

Jerry Feather

I am bumping this thread for the benefit of those who have just bought one of my Cowl Covers. Even though I include extensive instructions with the Cowl Cover as to removal and installation, I think this thread will be very helpful. Too, I think some posts in this thread tend to show that perhaps just about everyone installs the Cowl Cover without bothering to read the instructions. In particular, when you do, it is easy to miss the three mounting tabs in the cars, starting in about 84, unless you read the instructions.